Assignment 7

Part 1: Take two photographs of a still life setup. The first will be with just the reflector on the 1600 strobe. Then, without moving the light at all, add the small white umbrella to the strobe & reflector and take another photo. (Don’t forget to meter for both pictures!) Describe the difference between the shadows and overall lighting in these two images.

1600 Strobe with Reflector - 1/60, f/18, ISO 100

1600 Strobe with Reflector and White Umbrella - 1/60, f/13, ISP 100

The two images utilize the same light source at the same distance but one diffuses the light with the use of an umbrella.  In the top image, the highlights are a little more blown out than in the bottom image that uses the umbrella, but not by much.  You see increased highlights in the flash which sits to the right of the camera (the viewers left).  What you really notice in the two images, is the softness of the shadow that casts to the back of the camera.  The shade of the shadow remains the same, perhaps because the light source distance has not been changed.  In 1600 strobe with reflector image, the bright direct light casts a well outlined shadow of the camera handle and camera, while the 1600 strobe with reflector and white umbrella image has a softened shadow.  The light source was about 3.5' away from the subject.  In the top image, I do see some more of the shadows pulled out.  If I had to choose between the two images, the second image with the umbrella is far more pleasing simply because the shadow adds to the photo and does not distract from the overall image.

Part 2: Then, take two portraits. Using, the large umbrella in one and the small umbrella in the other, your goal is to produce the same type of lighting in each photograph. Think about subject placement, the light, and the background. Measure and record the distance of each light source from the subject and then describe how you came to this conclusion. It may be be useful to use a tripod for this so that you are not changing the camera angle much.

1600 Strobe with Reflector and Small White Umbrella 5' from subject f/13, 1/60, ISO 100

1600 Strobe with Reflector and Large White Umbrella 8' from subject - f/8, 1/60, ISO 100

I started with the small umbrella at 5 feet from the subject in the first image.  Shadow not terribly harsh and lighting overall is a little brighter (not necessarily overexposed) but just brighter than you may want in a portrait.  After reviewing, the first image, I determined which direction the larger umbrella should move.  I figured in order to obtain the same type of lighting exhibited with the small umbrella (most notably how the shadow casts), I would need to make the large umbrella smaller by moving it farther away from the subject.  I ended up with the subject 8 feet from the light source and metered for correct exposure.  It seems that moving the light farther away from the subject with the large umbrella made the color value of the gray background change to a lighter shade of gray as compared to the darker gray seen in the first photo.  The skin tone of the subject also changes.  It always depends on the style you are hoping to achieve, but in a casual portrait such as this, I would think that the second image would be the best choice.